NEW YORK – Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau today announced the appointment of Hon. Sherry Klein Heitler as Administrative Judge for the Supreme Court, Civil Term, New York County. The appointment was made with the approval of Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and in consultation with Hon. Luis A. Gonzalez, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department. Judge Heitler replaces Hon. Joan B. Carey, who will retire at the end of this year.

Chief Administrative Judge Pfau said, “Judge Heitler is a native of New York City and a highly respected member of its legal community. She has served in numerous capacities – as an attorney, a professor of law, and as a skilled, knowledgeable and diligent jurist. She brings not only a keen intellectual mind and knowledge of the courts to her new position, but an indefatigable commitment to the pursuit of justice. I am confident that Judge Heitler will fulfill the duties of this important administrative position with distinction.”

Judge Heitler was elected to the New York County Civil Court in 1994, designated an Acting Supreme Court Justice in 1996, elected to the Supreme Court in 2000, and appointed an Associate Justice of the Appellate Term, First Department, in 2007. After earning her Juris Doctor at Fordham University Law School, Judge Heitler began her legal career as a Law Assistant in the New York County Civil Court. She later served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Baruch College and founded Heitler & Levy, P.C. Justice Heitler is a director of the New York County Women’s Bar Association, Vice President of the Fordham Law School Alumni Association and sits on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Lawyers Guild. Since 2008, Judge Heitler has been Administrator of all New York City asbestos-related cases.

Judge Pfau added, “I have had the great pleasure of working with Judge Carey during her lengthy tenure of service within the courts and can attest to the integrity, professionalism and unending work ethic that have come to define her professional career. She has been a wonderful jurist, an effective and efficient administrator, and a trusted and respected colleague. I thank Judge Carey for more than three decades of leadership, dedication and distinguished service to the courts of New York and those it serves.”